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Skimm for February 9th

Skimm’d from Seattle.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Anyone who is rowdy…will be very gently…taken care of” - Qatar, explaining how it’ll deal with drunk soccer fans at the (already controversial) 2022 World Cup. They didn’t elaborate.

BETWEEN A GRANITE STATE AND A HARD PLACE

THE STORY

Today is the day you’ve been waiting for. Today is the New Hampshire primary. Hoorayyyyyyyy.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

Because New Hampshire’s when 2016 pops its primary cherry. Yes, Iowa went last week. Those were caucuses (Skimm the difference here).

RIGHT, BUT I DON’T LIVE IN NH.

Good for you. But this is do or drop out time for candidates that have staked their entire campaigns on doing well in this state. What happens in NH could change who’s on the ballot around the country.

SO WHAT’S THE LATEST?

The polls think Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT) have it - by a lot. But early state voters tend to change their minds at the last minute. So, no one knows what actually could happen. After a solid third place in Iowa, it had been looking like Sen. Marco Rubio (FL) could be the mainstream GOP’s pick. But then he got verbally pantsed by Gov. Chris Christie (NJ). TBD on how that’ll affect Rubio’s turnout. Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Cruz (TX) who came in as the GOP’s #1 in Iowa, isn’t looking so hot and former Sec. of State. Hillary Clinton is trailing Bern by double-digits. Her goal? Not to lose too badly before the rest of the primary season gets going.

theSKIMM

Iowa isn’t so great at predicting which candidates will eventually become the party nominees. Guess which state has a good record? New Hampshire. And early guesses hint that New Hampshire wants to see a Trump vs. Sanders race.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO LIVES IN BOSTON…

Hope you didn’t pahk the cah outside last night. New England is getting hit with a major winter storm . Yesterday, some areas of Massachusetts got almost a foot of snow. The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings at all of the spots your friend who wears pastel pants likes to vacation: Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard. Connecticut, parts of Long Island, and New Hampshire are also seeing a lot of snow and dangerously high winds. Which means people voting in the New Hampshire primary today are probably sweating their decision at the polls...because they’re wearing five layers of clothing. A low turnout because of weather could be bad for candidates who have all their eggs in New Hampshire’s snowy basket.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR NERVOUS MOTHER…

Don’t panic. Yesterday, President Obama said he’s asking Congress for almost $2 billion to fight the Zika virus . And then he told Americans to take some deep breaths. Reminder: the Zika virus comes from mosquitos and has been linked to severe birth defects. Last week, the World Health Organization pulled out its ‘international emergency’ card, saying the virus could soon spread around the globe. Yesterday, a US heath official said an outbreak in the US is unlikely, and a vaccine should be ready in a few years. But until then, Obama wants to dedicate a couple billion to research, protecting pregnant women, and aiding countries that are being hit hardest by the virus.

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO STILL HAS A HANGOVER FROM THE SUPER BOWL…

Wall Street had a rough Monday too. Yesterday, the stock market had a very bumpy ride. Reasons? Low oil prices, and a fear that they’re not gonna get better anytime soon. The Fed, and uncertainty about whether or not interest rates will continue to go up this year. Tech companies, and a fear that they’re not actually worth the billions of dollars that they’re being valued at. But that’s not stopping Verizon from thinking about putting a ‘sold’ sticker on Yahoo. The CEO of AOL (which Verizon bought last year for a casual $4.4 billion) is apparently leading the conversation about whether or not Verizon should put Yahoo under its very large umbrella (ella ella).

WHAT TO SAY TO YOUR FRIEND WHO SET AN ALARM TO BUY BEYONCE TICKETS…

May the odds be ever in your favor.

THING TO KNOW

Frarority: A fraternity/sorority that doesn’t discriminate based on gender. Because everyone should have the right to drink cheap beer and wear neon tank tops.

SKIMM LIFE

Heads up: Valentine’s Day is coming up. You need to get flowers for bae. Or for yourself. Don’t get them from the grocery store. Get them here from the Etsy of flowers.

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SKIMM BIRTHDAYS

* indicates Skimm’bassador. Get out your dancing shoes.

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